Puff Pastry Quiche with Spinach and Cheese

There are many great things about this recipe. First, you get to use puff pastry, which is flaky and buttery. Then you get to make quiche that is portable and easily customized, which makes this perfect for brunch or households where tastes vary. You can always mix up the egg base and set out a “filling bar” so hungry diners can choose-their-own meal adventure.

This recipe will give you a dozen muffin-sized quiches and a dozen mini quiches. You will likely have some extra filling mixture at the end too, which is perfect for making a quick egg scramble!

You will need:

• 6 eggs
• 2 c fat-free half and half
• 2 t garlic powder
• 1 t pepper
• 1/2 t paprika
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 c frozen chopped spinach, thawed with the extra water squeezed out
• 1/2 small onion, minced
• 2 c shredded cheese (I used a cheddar-jack blend)
• 2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed according to the directions

Then you will…

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Set a regular and a mini-sized muffin tin on the counter to the side. Lightly grease the tins.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs together with the half and half, garlic powder, pepper, paprika, salt, and red pepper flakes until light and airy.
3. Stir in the spinach, onion and cheese (or whatever fillings you want…be creative!).
4. Set aside.
5. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry and cut into 9 pieces (3×3). Gently stretch each piece slightly and press each piece into a regular sized muffin tin well.
6. Unfold the second piece of puff pastry. Cut one-third of it into 3 pieces; these should be roughly equal in size to what you just cut. Gently stretch each piece slightly and press each piece into a regular muffin tin well.
7. At this point you should have a dozen regular-sized muffin tin wells lined with puff pastry. The next step will line a dozen mini-sized muffin tin wells.
8. Cut the remaining puff pastry into 12 pieces (3×4). Gently stretch each piece slightly and press into the mini muffin tin wells.
9. Pour a little water into any unused mini muffin tin wells to protect them while baking.
10. Gently spoon the egg mixture into each lined muffin tin well. The egg will rise a little, so you do not need to fill it to the top of the well. I recommend filling to about 2/3 full.
11. Bake until the egg center is not wet/jiggly in the middle and the puff pastry is golden. It will take about 12-17 minutes for the mini quiches and another 5 or so for the regular muffin-sized ones. Check frequently near the end.
12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before removing. Finish cooling on a wire rack until they are cool enough to eat.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Bread

This sweet treat is a crowd pleaser. I baked it as a thank you for some coworkers, and the whole loaf was almost gone in the first few minutes.

You will need:

• 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 pkg (8 oz) light cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 c brown sugar
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 2 c cranberries, fresh or frozen

Then you will…

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 9×5 loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the cream cheese and sugar.
3. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
4. Mix in the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Mix in the flour just until combined.
6. Gently fold in the cranberries.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans.
8. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until golden and a tester inserted in center comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before flipping out onto a wire rack to continue cooling.